Book 15: The Anonymous Adversary
by Shiny Snicket
Summary: Sequel to the Unpleasant Unknown. The Baudelaires face a tragic funeral, a tall building, a German poem, a promise of revenge and a lot of unfortunate moments. I strongly advise you to read something more happy and light-hearted than this. Be warned.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is the sequel to _'Book 14 – The Unpleasant Unknown'_ so make sure you read that one first. It was positively received which I'm proud of, but a lot of people seemed annoyed that I ended it on a cliffhanger and didn't immediately release a sequel. I'm making it clear that this sequel was always going to happen. It was just a matter of when I had the time to write it. I know a lot of you were angry that I left so many questions unanswered, but isn't that part of Lemony Snicket's style? We were left with a million questions at the end of Book 13. The aspect of my writing that everyone seems to like the most is my ability to imitate Snicket's style, so I don't regret leaving so many unanswered questions. Never fear though. They will be answered in this fic!

**Disclaimer:** Do I really have to come up with another thirteen ways of saying _'I am not Lemony Snicket and I do not own ASOUE or any of its characters'_?

* * *

><p>At some stage in their career, every writer has to go through a process known as writer's block. This means that they find it impossible to write for one reason or another, as if there's something psychological ordering them to stay away from their pen, typewriter or paintbrush which they use to write their stories. For instance, a fiction writer might not be able to think of what to write, or someone writing an essay might not be able to think of an apt way of phrasing a particular sentence. These are the most mild cases of writer's block as they are usually temporary. The worst form of writer's block is when you know what to write and how to phrase it, but you are filled with pain and grief each and every time you think about the topic at hand. That is what I have experienced. Whenever I take a step towards my unmerciful typewriter, I think about the tragic story of the Baudelaire orphans. I think about all that they have lived through and all that they have lost. It makes me feel so lost and alone. It shows me the truth about the world.<p>

I made a promise to a dead friend that I would write about the misery and woe of the Baudelaires. However, you have made no such promise to read this terrible story. Unless of course, you have, in which case I am sorry to inform you of the trauma which you will soon experience. The thirteenth story of this series was titled _'The End'_, because I desperately wanted to forget about the Baudelaires' story forever and move on with my mournful life. However, I had no choice but to continue with my task. I then decided that _'The End'_ wasn't the end, so I wrote the fourteenth book, _'The Unpleasant Unknown'_. Now, I am writing the first chapter of Book Fifteen and I will warn you one final time. Do not read one more word of this fan fiction. Swap it for a happier read like _'The Littlest Elf'_ and you will save yourself a lot of weeping.

The Baudelaire orphans stood on a hill in the countryside, not saying a word. The sun was setting and the view was beautiful. They watched the divine sight, aware that if they turned around they would be faced with a far less attractive view. Behind them lay the ruins of the Wecem sisters' cottage, which had been consumed by flames. Faith and Wonda Wecem had at one time been so cruel to the Baudelaires. They wore white powder over their faces and worked in the theatre troupe of a vile man named Count Olaf, who was later killed after breathing in the spores of the medusoid mycelium. However, they showed remorse and tried to make it up to the Baudelaires. They took care of them. The last the Baudelaires saw of the Wecems was when Faith ran back into the cottage to find Wonda. Now there was no sign of either of them. It was unlikely that either of them got out of that cottage alive.

The Baudelaires, however hard they tried, couldn't grieve for the loss of the Wecems. They were too busy grieving for the other life that was lost in the fire. Beatrice Snicket lied in Klaus Baudelaire's arms, absolutely still and absolutely silent. Klaus didn't want to admit the obvious truth. Beatrice was clearly dead. She was just another person who the Baudelaires lost. Just like the Wecems. Just like Kit Snicket and Dewey Denouement. Just like the Wecems. Just like the Quagmires, Fiona and the others who the Baudelaires abandoned in the Great Unknown as it sank. Just like Aunt Josephine and Uncle Monty. Just like their parents. As I write this, I wonder why everyone who gets close to those unfortunate orphans turns to dust. It seems it will always remain a mystery.

The Baudelaire fell asleep, huddled up together on the grass. When they woke up, they decided that it was time to accept the unfortunate truth. They prepared a funeral of sorts for Beatrice. Violet managed to make useful tools out of what was left of the cottage. Klaus used these tools, as well as Sunny's teeth, to build a little coffin. The three orphans shed tears as they dug into the ground, depressed by the thought of what they were digging this hole for. It is never an easy task to dig someone's grave. I once had to do such a task, but that's another story. The point is that the Baudelaires were depressed as they shovelled mound after mound of dirt until the only thing left to do was fill the grave. Klaus was sitting on the side of the hill, watching the sky when Violet approached him.

"_Are you okay?" _Violet asked with a concerned expression on her face. She already knew the answer to that question.

Klaus didn't even look at his sister when he replied, _"What do you think?"_

A long silence took place after this. The silence was eventually broken when Klaus spoke. His voice croaked as he let out the words which were haunting him so much.

"_We promised Kit we would look after her,"_ he said with a broken voice.

Violet placed a hand on her brother's shoulder as she said, _"We tried our best."_

Klaus turned his head and looked into his sister's eyes for the first time since Beatrice's tragic demise. He knew that Violet was trying to convince herself that they did everything they could as much as she was trying to convince Klaus.

"_Kit wouldn't blame us for what happened to Beatrice," _Violet said unconvincingly to her brother. _"We did everything we could to protect her. You even ran into a burning bank to rescue her. You were willing to die for her and she would be thankful. If anyone is at fault, it's that man with the gas mask."_

Klaus thought back to when they first men the gas-masked man at Mulctuary Money Management. Later, Violet caught him fleeing from the scene when the Wecems' cottage was burnt down. Violet managed to demask the arsonist. The only notable feature she noticed on his face was the fact that he had one eyebrow, just like other people who the Baudelaires have encountered such as Jacques Snicket and Count Olaf. Klaus found that he hated the gas-masked man more than he even hated Olaf.

It wasn't long before the youngest Baudelaire joined her siblings. She sat between Violet and Klaus, trying not to let her emotions grow two strong as she let out the words, _"It's time"_.

The Baudelaires gently placed Beatrice's body in the coffin and individually spoke their goodbyes. Sunny was the first to approach the coffin.

"_I'm sorry we couldn't take better care of you."_

She mournfully walked away from the coffin as the eldest Baudelaire approached. Violet looked at Beatrice's corpse and felt sick as she took in the burns all over her face. It took great effort for her to speak. _"I'm sorry, Kit."_

When it was Klaus' turn to see the body, he said something that nobody would ever have expected Klaus Baudelaire to say. Even to this day, I cannot believe that Klaus, or any Baudelaire, could have said something like this. He would usually be the last person to say such a vile sentence. However, the pain of Beatrice's death took over and Klaus whispered the words softly, so that his sisters could not hear him. He thought of the gas-masked man as he uttered the three words.

"_I'll kill him."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I haven't received any reviews yet, so I'd really appreciate it if you tell me what you think of my writing. Even a short review would be much appreciated. Anyway, here's chapter two.

**Disclaimer:** Contrary to popular belief, I am not really Lemony Snicket and I sadly do not own _'A Series of Unfortunate Events'_.

* * *

><p>Over the course of my very sad life, I have lost many loved ones in the war between the two sides of a schism that should never have happened. I lost the love of my life to a fire, which destroyed whatever was left of my already shattered heart. My heroic brother, Jacques, was murdered not long after this. I barely got a chance to mourn the loss of Jacques before my dear sister, Kit, was killed by the medusoid mycelium. Like the Baudelaire orphans, I have had to live through a life dominated by unfortunate events. After each of these sad occasions, after every funeral, after every obsequy, after every failed séance, a friend of mine named Larry used to always give my the same piece of advice. He told me to <em>"let them go"<em>.

In order to avoid confusion, I am now stating that my friend did not mean this literally. To literally let someone go would mean to release someone from your clutches. This is something I have asked Count Olaf to do on many occasions. My friend was merely using a phrase. He was asking me to move on and try to forget about my fallen loved ones. This can at times seem like an impossible request. If you have ever lost a loved one, you would know that you would not want to completely forget them. However, this doesn't mean that you have to spend your who life grieving. My failure to get over my love's death made my life miserable. That is why the Baudelaires had to get over the death of my niece... so they won't end up like me... a sad, old man with only a typewriter for company.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire had just finished burying the deceased infant, Beatrice Snicket. They were all haunted by the fact that Beatrice faced death when she had barely begun to live. The poor child was just over a year old when she died. Now the three siblings were on their own again and they had no idea what to do or where to go. Nothing remained of the cottage except for cinders and ash. The Wecem sisters were nowhere to be found so the Baudelaires had to assume that they were dead. It was the evening and the sun had already set. Violet, Klaus and Sunny sat beside Beatrice's grave, without speaking a word. Eventually, Klaus gathered the courage to break the agonising silence.

"_What are we supposed to do now?" _asked the middle Baudelaire, uncertain of what the future would hold for these unlucky siblings.

Violet placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, _"We carry on"_.

Klaus, however, was not satisfied with this answer, _"That's not what I meant. We're in the middle of nowhere, Violet. We have nothing to go on, no food or water, nobody to turn to and nothing to point us in the right direction. We won't even last a week on our own."_

Violet felt just as desperate as Klaus did, but she forced herself to remain calm. She was the eldest Baudelaire and if she started panicking the way her younger brother was, it would only make things worse. She constantly reminded herself to be optimistic. She thought of her incredibly optimistic friend Phil when she did so. The last time she saw Phil, they were in a sabotaged submarine which was sinking further and further towards the bottom of the ocean. Violet had many more friends on that submarine, known to some as the Great Unknown. There was Fiona and Fernald, a couple of people who once found themselves fighting for the wrong side but eventually decided where their loyalties lied. There was Captain Widdershins of the Queequeg and Hector from the Village of Fowl Devotees. Finally, there were the Quagmire triplets, Duncan, Isadora and Quigley. Violet wanted nothing more than confirmation that her friends were still alive. That was just another thing to stay optimistic for.

"_We've been in worse positions, Klaus,"_ Violet reminded her brother, _"We have all grown a bit and the heat has worn off the story of the Baudelaire murderers and arsonists. At least we don't have Count Olaf chasing us any more."_

"_Yeah," _remarked Klaus, _"because being chased by some homicidal maniac with a gas mask and a unibrow just like Olaf's is so much better."_

Violet raised an eyebrow. It came as a shock to hear her brother speak with such sarcasm in his voice. Klaus had been significantly more bitter since Beatrice's death. However, neither Violet nor Sunny blamed him. They didn't feel much better themselves. Speaking of Sunny, you might be wondering why the youngest Baudelaire wasn't taking part in this conversation. The truth is that she was distracted by a shape she saw in the distance. While Violet and Klaus discussed how hopeless their situation was, Sunny walked over to the silhouette and picked up the object which was simply lying on the grass.

"_Look!" _Sunny shouted to gain the attention of her siblings.

Violet and Klaus came running over to see what their sister was calling them for. They found Sunny holding a book entitled _'Professor Fletcher's Reasonably Reliable Book on German Poetry'_. All three orphans immediately thought back to the telegram they received in Mr Poe's bank, Mulctuary Money Management, shortly before it burned down. It was signed simply with two initials, _'JS'_.

Violet took the telegram out of her pocket and all three Baudelaires read it for a second time.

"_Baudelaires STOP We are delighted to hear that you are still alive STOP The few surviving members of VFD will meet for one last attempt to revive our organisation STOP Please attend if convenient STOP If inconvenient try to make it anyway because if this revival attempt is not successful the world will be rid of VFD and those who start fires will have finally won STOP"_

It seemed that whoever JS was, he or she was on their side. JS was trying to revive VFD, a noble organisation dedicated to putting out fires and saving innocent lives. The Baudelaires' parents were a part of this organisation until their death. Along with the original telegram came a second message, which quoted a German poem.

"The following is an extract from a German poem written in 1667 by an admirable poet.

_He felt the entrance's green brightness_

_wrapped cooly round him like a silken cloak_

_that he was still accepting and arranging;_

_when at the opposite transparent end, far off_

_through green sunlight, as through green window panes,_

_whitely a solitary shape_

_flared up, long remaining distant_

_and then finally, the downdriving light_

_boiling over it at every step._

**Encounter In The Chestnut Lane **by Rainer Saturday Rilke_"_

Violet was the first to speak, _"Where did this book come from?"_

Klaus replied honestly, _"I have no idea. It's just the book we need to decipher the message in JS' poem. It can't be a coincidence that the very book we needed just happened to be lying on the grass here."_

The Baudelaires has earlier agreed that the poem contained a hidden message. VFD often used a code known as Verse Fluctuation Declaration. A secret message would be concealed within a poem by replacing certain words. Klaus pointed out in the bank that it was unlikely that the poet's middle name was Saturday. He was convinced that it was part of the message, that VFD's next meeting would be on Saturday. He was certain that the location of the meeting was hidden somewhere in the poem. Now that they had this book, they could find out where the meeting will be held.

"_Read the poem," _insisted an impatient Sunny.

Klaus opened the large book and looked at the contents. He quickly found the poem they were searching for.

"_Encounter In The Chestnut Avenue," _he read, _"by Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875-1926._

_He felt the entrance's green darkness_

_wrapped cooly round him like a silken cloak_

_that he was still accepting and arranging;_

_when at the opposite transparent end, far off,_

_through green sunlight, as through green window panes,_

_whitely a solitary shape_

_flared up, long remaining distant_

_and then finally, the downdriving light_

_boiling over it at every step."_

"_You were right"_, Violet said happily, _"His middle name isn't Saturday. If this is Verse Fluctuation Declaration, then we know when the VFD reunion is going to be."_

Klaus nodded silently. He was too distracted by the poem to speak until he found another difference between the poem itself and the version this mysterious JS sent them.

"_Take a look at this"_, he started as his sisters leaned it to get a better look at the book, _"It says in the book that the poet was born in 1875, but it says in the telegram that the poem was written in 1667. That isn't possible."_

"_Maybe it's part of the message," _Violet suggested, _"Let's read the poem and find out"_.

"_The first line," _Sunny announced, pointing at the top of the page.

"_Sunny is right" _said Klaus, _"The first line is 'He felt the entrance's green darkness'. In the telegram, it says 'He felt the entrance's green brightness'. The word 'dark' or 'darkness' must be part of the message."_

"_The title!" _Sunny shrieked, excited by her discovery.

"_Right again, Sunny," _said Violet, _"The telegram says that the title is 'Encounter in the Chestnut Lane'. The actual poem is called 'Encounter in the Chestnut Avenue'. What does this all mean?"_

By the time Violet had finished speaking, several connections had already been made in Klaus' brain. He thought as hard as he could. The year 1667 had to mean something. The word _'dark'_ had to be relevant too. Then there was the real title, _'Encounter in the Chestnut Avenue'_ instead of _'Encounter in the Chestnut Lane'. _Suddenly, everything became so clear to Klaus.

"_I know what the message means... I just don't know why VFD would choose that place for a top secret meeting"_ he said thoughtfully.

"_What is it?" _asked Violet, _"Where is the meeting going to be held?"_

When Klaus took a moment to respond, Sunny blurted out, _"Where do we have to go?"_

Klaus looked at his sistered and responded, _"It look like we'll have to go back to 667 Dark Avenue."_

667 Dark Avenue was a very tall apartment building that stood in the same city as two buildings which were burnt to the ground by villains, the Baudelaire mansion and Mulctuary Money Management. The Baudelaires briefly stayed there a long time ago, while in the care of Jerome and Esmé Squalor. Esmé ended up being in cahoots with Count Olaf and Jerome was too nervous to help the Baudelaires. The last time the Baudelaires saw the Squalors, they were in the burning Hotel Denouement. They never found out who died and who survived that fire.

Violet looked at the poem and everything suddenly became so clear, _"Of course... 667 from the date, dark instead of bright and avenue instead of lane. You're a genius, Klaus._"

"_Never mind that," _said Klaus in reply, _"How are we going to get there?"_

Luckily for the Baudelaires, Violet was on top of things, a phrase which here means that she knew how to get to the city. _"I memorised the way here from the city when Faith Wecem first brought us here. All I have to do is retrace my steps. You were unconscious overnight after the fire at Mr Poe's bank, so it's Thursday now. We have two days to get to 667 Dark Avenue and nothing to eat or drink. We should get going immediately. Leave the book behind. It has served its purpose and carrying it with us will only slow us down."_

The Baudelaires accepted the task of walking all the way to the city on foot with only two days until the meeting at 667 Dark Avenue. Klaus closed the book and was about to lay it back on the ground when a loose piece of paper fell out of one of the pages. Klaus crouched down and picked it up.

"_Hey," _he started, _"Take a look at this."_

The Baudelaires leaned it to see what it was. There was a single sentence and a signature, hand-written in very messy, scarcely legible writing.

"_I hope you find this book useful, Baudelaires._

**JS**_"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reviewing, A. Fox! It would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that Klaus is turning into an anti-hero. It usually isn't in his character to say something as harsh as what he said at the end of the first chapter, but grief affects different people in different ways. I've always thought that out of the three Baudelaires, Klaus seems to be the one who loses his calm the quickest when there's a crisis. Don't worry though, Klaus' characterisation will be made apparent again later in the story.

This chapter is quite short, but I really wanted to end it with this cliffhanger and I can't think of much else to write about without it being tedious. With that said, enjoy:

**Disclaimer:** This is a disclaimer, a term which here means _'A sentence stating that I am not really Lemony Snicket and I do not own ASOUE'_.

* * *

><p>A poet of my acquaintance once wrote a poem called <em>'Acquainted with the Night'<em>, which depicts a grossly sentimental walk at night. When I first read that poem, I did not understand it at all. However, later my life took a turn for the worst after a tragic fire. I lost the love of my life and fell into severe depression. It was only then that I realised how taking a walk helped to to clear my head and take in the chaos that has been occurring around me.

Similarly, is was during the long walk back to to city that Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire truly came to terms with Beatrice Snicket's death. They accepted the she was gone and would never come back, but accepting that someone is dead doesn't make it any less painful. This is something I learned a long time ago. By the time the Baudelaire arrived at the city, they felt as if their lives were over, then they would never again experience happiness. They tried to ignore these feelings and focus on the task at hand.

When the Baudelaires arrived at 667 Dark Avenue, they saw a man in a black suit guarding the doorway. The Baudelaires remembered the time they spent living in this apartment block with Jerome and Esmé Squalor. The doorman turned out to be Fernald the hook-handed man, was was a part of Count Olaf's theater troupe at the time. They had to be wary. As far as they knew, this doorman could have been an enemy. Or he could have been the opposite, a volunteer, a member of VFD trying to prevent the enemy from infiltrating the meeting.

Violet cautiously walked up to the doorman, _"Excuse me? May we come in?"_

The doorman looked at them skeptically, _"I'm afraid not. There's a clandestine meeting going on in the penthouse. Clandestine means top secret, by the way. All the residents have been kicked out. You're not allowed in without an invitation."_

Violet's heart sank, but suddenly the doorman started to look a bit closer at the Baudelaire orphans. He continued to speak. _"Unless, of course, you are who I think you are... Are you?"_

Violet hesitated, briefly considering whether she should reveal her identity to this man. She eventually decided against it.

"_I'm sorry," _she said, _"I think I'm at the wrong building. I'm looking for number 668."_

The doorman frowned before speaking, _"Around the corner to your left. You can't miss it. It's even __more enormous than this one."_

Violet turned around and walked away, her siblings following after her. After she was a safe distance away from the apartment, she turned to Klaus and Sunny and spoke.

"_We're not getting into that VFD meeting through the front door," _she revealed, _"I've got a plan."_

"_What plan?" _Sunny asked curiously, her eyebrows raising slightly.

"_The doorman said that the meeting is happening in the penthouse, where we lived with Jerome and Esmé Squalor. We're going back to our old home and using the secret passage to get into the building. Our makeshift ropes should still be in the empty elevator shaft. We'll climb up to the penthouse without anybody noticing us," _Violet explained.

"_That's risky," _Klaus pointed out. _"This whole meeting could be a trap."_

"_It's all we have," _said Violet, _"We have no choice but to take that risk."_

"_I agree," _said Sunny hesitantly.

I will not bore you with the tedious details of the Baudelaires' journey up to the penthouse of 667 Dark Avenue. I will not go into depth about the anxiety they felt as they walked to the remains of the Baudelaire Mansion. I will not mention the grief they felt as they saw that the ruins of their old mansion had still not been cleared up. The cinders and ash still remained to remind them that they would never see their parents, Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire, again in their lives. I will not describe the traumatic memories which resurfaced in the Baudelaires' minds as they walked through the secret tunnel and past the cell in which Duncan and Isadora Quagmire had been imprisoned by Count Olaf, who was diguised as an auctioneer named Gunther at the time. I will not mention how desperate for some good luck these three orphans felt as they climbs up their old makeshift rope, up the empty elevator shaft and into the penthouse.

Just as the Baudelaires remembered, the penthouse of 667 Dark Avenue was huge. Violet, Klaus and Sunny didn't have enough fingers and toes between the to count the sheer number of rooms. They walked across the empty rooms, knowing that they were bound to bump into someone sooner or later. The problem which constantly nagged their minds was that they didn't know whether they would bump into a villain, like the man with a beard but no hair and the woman with hair but no beard, or a volunteer, like this mysterious JS personality.

Violet's heart stopped when she heard footsteps. They weren't her own. Neither were they Klaus' or Sunny's.

"_Ssh," _she hissed as her siblings in a harsh whisper, _"I hear someone."_

The Baudelaires proceeded with caution, until the person whose footprints Violet heard came around the corner.

"_Violet?"_

The Baudelaires saw the face of someone whom they had assumed to be dead. A person they last saw on the Great Unknown as it sank to the bottom of they ocean. A person who they hoped against hope would still be alive. A man who somehow managed to get out of that dreadful submarine safely.

That's right, they saw the face of Quigley Quagmire.


End file.
